A man who spent years trading on his father's name, collecting millions from foreign business deals, selling paintings to anonymous buyers, and leaning on a Hollywood fixer to cover his bills, now claims he cannot afford a car or a cell phone. Hunter Biden testified under oath that he owns no stocks, bonds, or savings account. His paintings, he said, are the only things he has left that might be worth anything.
The admissions came during a Feb. 9 deposition in Hunter Biden’s legal battle with Winston Taylor, formerly Winston & Strawn. His attorneys released the transcript while fighting the firm’s demand for communications involving people who may have been asked to help pay his legal bills.
Biden was direct when asked about assets that could satisfy his debts:
“I don’t have any assets. I don’t own a car. I don’t own a phone.”
Then he extended the poverty claim to the whole family:
“My family doesn’t have any money, and it’s not their debt anyway.”
Winston & Strawn sued Biden in June 2025 after representing him through two federal criminal cases, congressional investigations, and several civil lawsuits. The firm said Biden owed more than $50,000. Biden has estimated that his overall legal costs reached between $14 million and $17 million.
Abbe Lowell, who led Biden’s defense while working at the firm, billed $1,510 per hour. Other partners charged as much as $1,945 per hour.
Biden was convicted in June 2024 on three federal gun charges and later pleaded guilty to tax charges involving approximately $1.4 million in unpaid taxes. Former President Joe Biden pardoned his son before either case reached sentencing.
The pardon removed the threat of prison. The invoices remained.
Hunter Biden contends that Lowell told him they would eventually work out the money. He also blamed Lowell and the firm for a legal strategy that included lawsuits against IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump White House aide Garrett Ziegler.
Some of those cases were abandoned as Biden’s finances deteriorated. In March 2025, he asked a judge to dismiss his lawsuit against Garrett Ziegler:
“I do not have the financial resources to continue litigating this case.”
Biden said he had sold only one painting for $36,000 since December 2023. During the previous two or three years, he sold 27 works for an average of nearly $55,000.
Lowell acknowledged seeking help from third-party donors and people within the "Democratic ecosystem." He also discussed creating a legal defense fund and a 501(c)(4) organization with Bob Bauer, a former Obama White House counsel and Joe Biden's personal attorney. That is not a footnote. Bauer's involvement means discussions about covering Hunter Biden's legal bills were happening at the highest levels of the Biden inner circle, with the sitting president's own lawyer in the room.
Winston Taylor is seeking communications involving those fundraising efforts. The firm argues that Biden has not produced all relevant messages, while Biden maintains that he has turned over everything required.
Read More: Hunter Biden Forgets to Pay His Bills Again, Consequences Coming
What Jill Biden Says About Joe's Hunter Pardon Beggars Belief, Especially Who She Blames
Hunter did recently win a $1.7 million default judgment against former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. Winston Taylor immediately moved to put a lien on it. He also landed a job at a luxury addiction treatment center, which, given his history, is either inspiring or on-brand depending on your patience for Biden family redemption arcs. Neither development changes the underlying math: his creditors are circling every dollar he touches before he can spend it.
Hunter's claim that the entire Biden family has no money does not hold up. Joe Biden pocketed a reported $10 million book advance. Jill Biden received her own advance for a memoir that hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, with a boost from bulk purchases. The same family that cashed in on the Biden name for decades apparently cannot spare anything for the son who helped make it worth selling.
The pardon eliminated Hunter Biden’s criminal exposure. It did not eliminate his unpaid invoices or creditors. After years in which the Biden name helped him make millions, Hunter says all he has left are his paintings and a family that will not pick up the tab.
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